Melbourne-based mother of three, Beatrice Toh, left a long career in architecture to turn her side-hustle into her now full-time gig. Beatrice founded the multi-award-winning HeyDoodle range of eco-friendly silicone playmats and creative play products in 2019, after recognising a gap in the market for products that combine education, fun and sustainability.

Today, HeyDoodle sells online and is stocked via more than 800 Australian retailers and trading in more than 25 countries and growing rapidly.

Jean Morris never sat in a boardroom sketching out a business strategy. She didn’t have investors, mentors, or a roadmap to follow. She was a registered nurse with a full-time job, a wife, and a mother balancing family life.

So when she and her husband, Andrew, opened a tiny Caribbean grocery store in 1993, it wasn’t because they had experience. It was because their community was homesick for something only they could provide—the taste of home.

With no retail background and only $50 to their names when they immigrated from Jamaica, Jean and Andrew built not only a business but a legacy. But Jean never measured success in numbers. For her, Sam’s Caribbean Marketplace was never about selling products—it was about rekindling memories, preserving culture, and making sure no Caribbean immigrant ever felt out of place.

Naz Aksu's story begins with a love for jewelry and a desire to make people's special moments truly unforgettable. She envisioned a company that would go beyond the ordinary, exceeding expectations and crafting pieces as unique as the love they represent. This dream, combined with her background in economics and marketing, and her husband's expertise in computer science, led to the creation of 25karats.com in 2008.